Dudettes and dudes it’s as simple
as this, A. Lee Martinez is an awesome writer.
For those who don’t this
wonderfully talented scribe, he’s written ten novels. His books include the
Automatic Detective (it’s about a robot detective in a future city who’s best
friend is a talking gorilla who drives a cab), Monster (this one tells the tale
of a guy named Monster who catches monsters for a living), and Gil’s All Fright
Diner (which follows the adventures of a vampire and his redneck werewolf
companion who must deal with undead cows and a demonic magic eight ball).
Why do I dig his stuff so?
The wit, the inventiveness, the
willingness to play around with formula, the fact that they are not part of a
series or ongoing universe, all these things and the simple fact that, he is a
good writer.
His books aren’t any longer than
they need to be. The endings are well executed and fit the flow of the books.
Sometimes they are happy and uplifting, sometimes not so much, but again they
all work in the context of the novels style.
My two favorites of all his work
thus far are Chasing the Moon and A Nameless Witch.
But here is one of the coolest
things about his books. None of his books are bad. Most writers by the time
they hit ten books have at least one or two weak entries. Not one of his books
is even close to poor. That is one impressive feat and thus far they have all
had different flows, themes, and ideas. Sure of course his style carries across
his material but hey isn’t that what style is all about? And when you’re
writing about demonic ducks, trampy angels, and Lovecraftian insanity that is
some awesome style to have shine on.
So go get reading the good stuff!
The A. Lee Martinez stuff!
Yours in outstanding literature,
Count Robot